Aromatherapy, commonly associated with complementary and
alternative medicine (CAM), is the use of volatile liquid plant
materials, known as essential oils (EOs), and other aromatic
compounds from plants to affect someone’s mood or health.
When aromatherapy is used for the treatment or prevention of
disease, a precise knowledge of the bioactivity and synergy of
the essential oils used, knowledge of the dosage and duration
of application, as well as, naturally, a medical diagnosis, are
required. In the Anglo-Saxon world, even among “natural”
practitioners like herbalists or naturopaths, aromatherapy is
regarded more as an art form than a valid healing science. At
best, it is viewed as a complementary and seldom the only
treatment prescribed.
On the continent, especially in France, where it originated,
aromatherapy is incorporated into mainstream medicine. There,
the use of the anti-septic properties of oils in the control of
infections is emphasized over the more “touchy feely” approaches
familiar to English speakers. In France some essential oils are
regulated as prescription drugs, and thus administered by a
physician. In many countries they are included in the national
pharmacopeia, but up to the present moment aromatherapy as
science has never been recognized as a valid branch of medicine
in the United States, Russia or Germany.
Essential oils, phytoncides and other natural VOCs work in
different ways. At the scent level they activate the limbic
system and emotional centers of the brain. When applied to the
skin in the form of massage oils they activate thermal
receptors, and kill microbes and fungi.
Internal application of essential oil preparations, mainly in
pharmacological drugs, may stimulate the immune system, urine
secretion, may have antiseptic activity etc. Different
essential oils have very different activity.; they are studied
in pharmacology and aromachology.
While the practice of aromatherapy is sometimes thought to be
confined to inhalation, it may include various methods,
including:
* Inhalation (directly or diffused into the air)
*Absorption through the skin (baths, massages, compresses)
* Absorption through the mucous membranes (oral rinses and
gargles)
* Ingestion (occasionally prescribed, with caveats)
Skeptics argue that while pleasant scents can be relaxing,
lowering stress and related effects, there is currently
insufficient scientific proof of the effectiveness of
aromatherapy. Like many alternative therapies, few controlled,
double-blind studies have been carried out. A common
explanation is that there is little incentive to do so if the
results of the studies are not patentable.
There are some treatments generally accepted in Western
medicine to give a form of relief for the airways in case of
cold or flu, such as mint and eucalyptus essential oils.
Some skeptics acknowledge that aromatherapy has limited
scientific support but argue that its claims go beyond the data
or that the studies are not adequately controlled and peer
reviewed.
The term “aromatherapy” has been applied to such a wide range
of products that almost anything which contains essential oils
is likely to be called an “aromatherapy product”, rendering the
term somewhat meaningless in that context.
Some proponents of aromatherapy believe that the claimed effect
of each type of oil is not caused by the chemicals in the oil
interacting with the senses, but that the oil contains a
distillation of the “life force” of the plant from which it is
derived that will “balance the energies” of the body and
promote healing or well-being by purging negative vibrations
from the body’s energy field.
Arguing that there is little scientific evidence that healing
can be achieved, or that the claimed “energies” even exist,
many skeptics reject this form of aromatherapy as pseudoscience
or even quackery.
Disclaimer: The information presented here should not be
interpreted as or substituted for medical advice. Please talk
to a qualified professional for more information about
aromatherapy.
About The Author: Copyright ? 2006, Heather Colman. Find more
aromatherapy resources at: http://www.aromatherapy-centre.info
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